Nut-lock.



A. G. MAYERS.

:NUT LOOK. APPLIGATION FILED JANZS, 1911.

L03 L54. Patented July 2, 1912.

5: bolt on which it is. mounted; to provide a umrnn sTATns BATEN-T onmon.

ALFRED C. MAYERS, OF SALINAS, CALIFORNIA ASSIGNOR T0 .1). C. DEMAREST, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

nu r JloeK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1912.

To all-whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED C. MAYnns, citizen of the United States, residing at Salinas, in the. county of Monterey and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Nut-Locks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to nut looks:

The object of this invention is to provide a' simple, practical, inexpensive device for insuring the retention inposition-of abolt and its nut. under varying conditions; to provide 'a-nut lock involving elements automatically operable to lock the nut in any degree ofrotation of the same about the nut lock having means" whereby. accessmay be'had ,,to the locking elements for therepair of the latter; and to provide-a nut locking device so designed thatit will be operable under conditions where the thread of the bolt has been greatly worn.

The invention consists, of the parts and the combination-and construction" of-partS as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an outside view of the bolt and nut. F i 2 is a section on line XX,

Fig. 1. Fig.- 3 is across-section of same.

' The present invention comprlses a, nut 2,

Tinteriorly threaded, as atz3, to fit upon a bolt4. The nut 2 is provided with a small plnnger'5, projecting slightly from a side of the 'nut and reciprocal in a passageway.

6,.preferablyarranged at a tangent to the threads of the nut-,and which is enlarged to form a socket 7 to receive a ball 8, which [is normally thrust inwardly by a spring or equivalent device 9, supported within the nut by. a removable key-plate 10, mounted win a dove-tailed seatll formed in one of the sides of the nut 2.

- In operation, the ball 8 projects into an opening 12form'ed by the removal of a portion or section of a thread in the nut, the

position of the ball being sucli'that it will seat against the walls 6f the thread of the boltgor screw 4. When ithe nut 2 is applied to the end of the screw l and advanced thereon, the ball 8 will ride in the apex of the thread as the nut is turned, in this instance, to the right, and at the moment the movement of the nut about the bolt 4 has ceased, the spring!) automatically thrust-s the ball 8 into frictional binding engagement upon the adjacent angular walls of the thread, locking the nut upon the bolt. Preferably, the socket 7 within which the ball 8 is movable, is tapered to converge toward the plunger socket 6. The purpose of this convergence of the ball socket 7 is to cause theball to move toward the body of the screw 4 if the threads .upon the same wear away. The nut 2 cannot be unscrewed from the bolt 4t so long as the spring 9 is allowed to press the ball 8 into frictional engagement against the walls of the bolt move the ball 8 backwardly in its socket,

thus freeing it from the bolt 4., when the nut may then be. freely unscrewed from the bolt. I have found that by sligh ly roughening the surface of theball 8 it b-. ;es upon the bolt 4 with greater rapidity than would be the case if the surface of the ball were smooth. In the event that the plunger 5 should be damaged, or.otherwise prevented from actuating the locking ball 8, the key- .plate 10 can readily be removed from the nut 2 to expose the spring .9 and the ball 8, allowing the removal of-th ese members and the nut 2.

' Having'thus describedray-invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Pat ent, is.

- An improved nut lock, consisting of a nut adapted to fit a threaded bolt and having a pin guiding passage at right angles to its axis, said passage being enlarged at and intersecting with the threads of the nut and communicating with the conical diverging chamber extending toth'e opposite side of the nut, a removable cap coverlng the outer end of the conical chamber, an expansible spring bearing against said cap, a ball In testimony whereof ave hereunto set loosely fitting the last mentioned chamber my hand in the presence two subscribing and being directed against -the threads of "Witnesses. I the bolt by the opposite inclined wall-0f the ALFRED C. MAYERS.

' conical chamber, when'aoted upon by said" Witnesses:

spring, and a reciprocable pin pro'ecting G. H. STRONG, from the nut and engageable with sa1d bolt. J OHN H. HERRING. 

